OMAN - Green Economy
Mohammed Al-Abduwani
CEO, Hussam Technology Company (HTC)
Bio
Mohammed Al-Abduwani has over a decade of experience in developing and leading teams along a clear strategic vision with emphasis on adding value and competitiveness to Oman. He holds an MBA from the University of Strathclyde and a BEng in mechatronics and robotics with a minor in embedded systems and biomedical engineering from The University of Leeds. Al-Abduwani is currently part of the National Collaboration & Leadership Program.
What technologies need to be implemented in order to utilize all the green energy that is produced?
Currently, the return on investment for solar is around eight years. What is more common now are hybrid solutions, with diesel and solar for customers that are off grid. The issue with many companies during the pandemic is the cash flow. Thus, some companies are reluctant to implement this solution as it will be considered as a CAPEX for them instead of OPEX. Therefore, there is a developer scheme, where developers come in and finance different companies’ projects and subsidize their financing. Energy efficiency is also an important topic, so companies can reduce their energy usage.
Why are SMEs important for the successful energy transition in Oman?
SMEs play a pivotal role in any country’s economy. They also have lower operation costs, so they can provide the most cost-effective solutions. Since they are locally based, they do not have high overhead costs when it comes to the installation. In addition, the support and maintenance are more accessible. Regional-based consortiums may be created, where different SMEs can work in collaboration when in comes to large scale projects.
What is your current focus in terms of growth, and what are your primary objectives for the next year?
At the moment, we are mostly focused on Oman and are working on the solar-to-schools project. We are also working in partnership with Amana to install solar in all the mosques in Oman. We started integrating more between our different departments where we train our employees to cater for the different disciplines we work in. Over the past year, we also focused on our ISO certifications. When the pandemic hit, and there were lockdowns, we added two additional ISO certifications, ISO 45001:2018 & ISO 14001:2015. We want to do it slowly by concentrating on becoming more efficient and integrated. We are currently working on solar and ICT, as sustainability is our main interest, but we want to add a third niche that will be an integration of both.
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